Bring it to a (good!) repair shop and ask them to check the motherboard for damages. With some luck they just need to clean it.
Had the same accident with my tablet and they could save it.
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Hi Paula, Thanks for your message
Sadly, I can’t see anything that says “damaged” (apart from the red LCIs, as expected) It was clean water, so I guess it is unlikely to leave any residue.
I had come to the same conclusion after writing this. I think it must have been plugging it in to charge it that finally “did for it”.
I have managed today to meet with a kind friend and Fairphoner, and all my components work on their mainboard, and none of theirs work on my mainboard. So my conclusion is (unsurprisingly) the main board.
Thank you - definitely have hope here. However, I don’t suppose you know of any such places? I’m in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. I tried the main google result today (Tyne Tech), but after telling me that Fairphones are rubbish and not eco-friendly (missed the point there) and then saying that I was stupid, he said he couldn’t repair it anyway, because it might need a new mainboard building. So much for “not limited to water damage and PCB repairs”!!
Finally, I’m wondering whether anyone has any knowledge how to diagnose the fault on the mainboard? I’ve whittled it down to the board, but then there are various options in my mind. Given that nothing happens power-wise, until plugged in and then the light just comes on, I’m wondering whether it is the PMIC that’s gone? There seems to be relatively little that can short, so I’m just wondering how to find the problem. Maybe @Leo_TheCrafter can offer some knowledge?
Thanks everyone for your help!
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Recovering data from the eMMC wouldn’t be that hard if he had a datasheet. An eMMC is an embedded Multi Media Card, basicly an SD card, but it would require an expensive adapter PCB, which could easily cost a few 100€. I have worked on iphones with waterdamage before and know how to deal with these problems. Drying it doesn’t do anything, in fact you have the best chances of recovery when you bring the phone to a repair shop when it’s still wet.
If it dries it leaves nasty corrosion everywhere, causing shorts. Luckly most shorts aren’t that bad, as they commonly occur at capacitors between ground and VCCx.x.
As you describe the problem, the issue is somewhere in the PMIC section, as the LED still works, which indicates that the phone isn’t completely dead. I have high hopes for this device.
The standard procedure for this kind of issue is:
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Take appart and rinse the board and the connectors with some 99% ethanol
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Take off the shields with a hot air gun or if they are sticker shields, just peel them
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Wash with ultrasonic cleaner for a maybe 1/2 an hour and immedialty rinse with ethanol again
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Manually clean the board with ethanol under the microscope
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If there are capacitors that are obviously damaged, take them off, most of them are decoupling capacitors that aren’t manditory, but can effect stability, but should be fine for data recovery, most of the times the phones work fine without them, if you really want you can replace them with some 1µF capacitors of the appropriate size.
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If still not booting, you can check the capacitors and their resistance with an multimeter, everything over 50ohm is usually fine. If you have an short on the power rails, you can check if sth is a power rails by looking if it comes from an inductor, try searching for the faulty capacitor/corrosion.
It is common that some of the repaired waterdamaged phone have high battery drain, due to some smaller shorts still remaining, but for data recovery, not a problem, they might also be fully functional, who knows, it’s always a bit luck.
If none of this helps, you probably have sth blown up like PMIC or have some corrosion under the ICs and in the worst case some short destroyed the CPU, in these cases there’s nothing to do about it and the board goes to the pile of donor boards.
We don’t have schematics for the FP2, I hope we’ll get them one day, but it’s unlikely, because qualcomm likes to keep things confidential.
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Unfortunately this often is wrong guessing.
How clean is “clean water”? Do you mean distilled water or even ultra-pure water which often is used e.g. in semiconductor manufacturing processes?
Any normal clear water ready for drinking is not clean enough for any semiconductor or circuit-board to be rinsed with. There are minerals, salts, metals and other ingredients in it. Each of them increases conductivity which will cause short-circuits as you now have experienced.
If you feel like reading through these two threads: waterdamage and waterwiki . Maybe good for the future.
The treatment as @Leo_TheCrafter describes is thoroughly and maybe can get your board back to life. But as he writes, you will need some luck too.
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Sorry, I guess I’m not much help there.
You could take a look here:
I have done some online research as well, so none the better, than what you already tried. Still, some of the one’s I found are UK-wide active. So maybe…?
Leo, that is very helpful. Thank you for such a detailed reply. Do I take it, from your message, that this should really be the first step? Even before trying to identify exactly where the short is, or whether there is a dead IC? Unfortunately the shops I have contacted so far either say they don’t do phone PCBs or they don’t seem to do anything other than screen replacements!
Regarding eMMC recovery - I’m not keen as that is the end of the phone, but would be interested what you thought of this: eMMC data recovery from damaged smartphone | Dangerous Payload
Thank you Patrick. Yes, I knew that if I stopped to think about it. I guess I was just meaning that it wasn’t the sea. But indeed it was not the handy bowl of distilled water that I keep around 
Thanks for referencing the water articles - although I was half aware, I thought it was dry enough, and had urgency to use the phone - retrospect is always easier! Hopefully there will not be a next time, but you never know!
Thank you for your pointers. I had found the link you attached, but obviously hadn’t read it properly. I will investigate further tomorrow.
Thanks everyone for your help. I will try to remember to update the thread when I have an outcome - whatever that be.
(I felt really sad to see the aforementioned repair shop in Newcastle already had a Fairphone with “the same problem” and that the owner had left it with not much hope. It sounds like there are a lot of more able people here and around the world.)
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The eMMC data recovery can apparently be done with the right tool, but that would only recover data, not repair the device.
Cleaning with 99% ethanol should always be the first step.
Having to solder is not always neccessary, had an iPhone 6 that worked after just some cleaning.
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Thanks Leo for the heads up. I do realise that it would be then end of the phone. I am only considering it as a last ditch attempt if the phone won’t work again.
I’m now trying to decide whether to send it in to a repair shop for this sort of thing or do it myself, accepting it may not work and a repair shop will then be necessary. Obviously I don’t have an ultrasonic cleaner, but otherwise is there much harm in trying with some ethanol (Isopropyl Alcohol) first, in your opinion.
Thanks for all your input - really appreciated.
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Really make sure that your solvent of choice is at least 99%, 80% is not acceptable and can ruin the device even more to the point that the demage is unrepairable
Thanks Leo. Appreciate you checking that I understood it must be the right strength.
The two options (if I do it myself) seem to be from RS Components (https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/precision-cleaners-degreasers/2274427/) or CPC Farnell (https://cpc.farnell.com/electrolube/ipa01l/ipa-cleaning-solvent-1l/dp/SAIPA1L). Both are reputable electronics suppliers in the UK and the items seem to 99%+ IPA solvent.
I will probably give this a go as a £10 attempt to fix. I have found a shop that is not too far away that supposedly does water damage repairs, so that is my next option. Will let people know here if I have any joy, so that they can (or not) get more trade 
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Yes, you can also use q-tips to brush over heavily corroded areas.
Protip: If you sharpen a tootpick to a very sharp point, it can be used like a tiny brush to get inbetween capacitors and other components
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A little update…
I bought two IPA cleaners (one bottle, one aerosol) from RS Electronics.
- RS PRO 1 L Tin Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) for PCBs (Stock No. 227-4427) £10.64 inc VAT
- Ambersil 400 ml Aerosol Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) (Stock No. 780-5225) £11.09 inc VAT
I stripped down the phone to just the core module, removing the shields. For other users trying this, it is possible (with a very small screwdriver for example) to remove the shields on the front and back of the core module. They actually just clip on. You have to get between the large flat plate and the frame underneath. I will try to photograph it next time…! You do not have to peel the black graphite thermal sheet - (unlike the instructions in the iFixit tear down).
I bathed the main board in the IPA for a good hour, gently agitating it every so often. I then removed it with clean gloves and sprayed IPA from the aerosol into the various ICs, focussing on the PMIC. I dried the mainboard in the oven at 100 deg C for 30 minutes and then let it cool. I rebuilt the phone and it charged, and turned on.
That was Sunday. Yesterday (Monday) I managed to use it all evening (plugged in) and I got all the data off it. However there seemed to be a huge battery drain issue. I left it overnight doing nothing and this morning the unit is back to square one. Just a red light, no charging etc.
I will try recleaning it, but it may need an ultrasonic cleaner (I don’t have one) or more. If anyone has any good ideas then do let me know. At least part 1 of the mission is accomplished!
@Leo_TheCrafter - Would either of these cleaners be adequate for this sort of job? It is not something that I have ever needed before, so I can’t imagine using it a lot in the future, so don’t want to spend too much on a “hopeful” repair technique: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrasonic-SKYMEN-Jewellery-Eyeglasses-Toothbrush/dp/B07H2DDM57 https://cpc.farnell.com/james-products/ultra-7000s/ultrasonic-cleaner-750ml/dp/SA03348 Is there anything I need to look for in a USS cleaner? I know that this isn’t heated, but then I can add warm water for the amount I’m doing.
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I wouldn’t reccomend buying an ultrasonic cleaner, If you have no other use.
Try cleaning with more IPA and use toothpicks and Qtips.
Try to shake the board in the IPA, so that the IPA gets under the ICs.
It is also common that waterdamaged phones have a wrecked battery.
Maybe a fairphone agle can lend you a known good battery.
I had a “waterproof” camera , which got wet with seawater, which destroyed the battery to the point that it wouldn’t even turn on. If the short was somewhere, like VCC_Main, Which is essentially, the battery (Terminology from IPhone, happens very commonly on them, but every phone got such a power rail, sometimes also known as SYS or Main, can be identified by it’s voltage range of 3.6-4.2V or it’s connection to the Charger/PMIC) could drain completely, destroing it.
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An update (and a question - of course!)
*Edit - @Leo_TheCrafter has noted that it was probably an inductor, not capacitor, so I have updated the information here to reflect that!
As an (obvious to me) warning to others. A lot of what I have done is trial and error and internet gleaned / desperation. Please do not take this information as the “right way” to do things, but hopefully you can judge for yourself by me providing my experience.
I did end up buying an Ultrasonic cleaner (sorry @Leo_TheCrafter - I’d already ordered it by the time you responded because I had a particular time deadline). I have no idea whether it made any difference. I bought https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07GWMPVXW after noting that an electronics specialist was selling the same machine with added branding. I also bought https://cpc.farnell.com/ambersil/6330001300/ultrasonic-cleaning-liquid-1ltr/dp/SA02601 and some de-ionised water from Halfords. I basically diluted the cleaner solution with deionised water and then “cleaned” the stripped down board for 30 minutes. I then rinsed the board with more de-ionised water, then a good wash and spray with IPA cleaner (as above) before drying in the oven at 100deg C for 30 minutes. Naturally letting it cool before touching and reinstalling the board.
No luck. Same red light. However, I then looked closely at the board, and my pre-cleaning pictures and noted that a capacitor / inductor had blown (it was blown before I cleaned it - I just hadn’t spotted it). The photo shows the crack in the ceramic and the residue leaked onto the PCB.
I bought a solder mop https://cpc.farnell.com/servisol/200004305-1-5mx1-5mm/soldamop-red-1-5mm-x-1-5m/dp/SASOLDAMOPSTD and tried to desolder the capacitor / inductor. I failed. I didn’t have the right tools or skills. I gently removed the cracked and failed capacitor / inductor by breaking it to pieces (not a lot of force was required). The solder joints remain, but the gap between them is as good as it being removed.
I have not replaced the capacitor / inductor. I recleaned the board as above and tried again.
Success! The phone now works and the battery drain issue has gone. Presumably this capacitor / inductor was causing a mild short circuit.
The only thing which isn’t working now, is the rear speaker. This worked after my initial success, but has obviously been damaged in the second attempt to get it to work. I have tried switching out the bottom and top modules with no success. The strange thing (to me) is that the headphone socket still works. So if I do checkup on rear speaker with headphones I can hear the Fairphone ringtone. The ear speaker and microphones both work. The audio module is therefore clearly still working. All the other bits of the bottom module are working (USB, vibration, microphone) - just not the speaker. If anyone has any suggestions where I could look for a fault I would be very grateful. @Leo_TheCrafter I note that you have just managed to design a new bottom module - are you able to point me in the direction of which pins are used to connect the speaker and where I should look for a pcb failure?
I’m going to put my pictures of disassembling the core module separately, since this post is already too long (now uploaded at Stripping down the Core Module). Any questions or hints gratefully received! The best thing is this message is being sent via my Fairphone 
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I don’t think telling you the pins will give you any advatage. I only know the pins on the bottom module, not the circuit on the mainboard. I can’t say for sure, but it looks like you got rid of an inductor, not an capacitor.
Inductors are used to drive speakers, create voltages for the speaker amp and much more.
If you want, you can check the voltage at the component from a known good board.
Capacitors are usually brown, some black with a white stripe on them.
If you want, you can try checking the resistance between the two pads. If it was an inductor, it should be OL to a few kohm. There should not be a resistance to ground lower than maybe 100ohm check between ground by connecting one probe to one of the pads at a time and the other one to one of the remaining shields (SIM slot should work, too). If you have removed a capacitor there should be close to 0 ohm on one side and a few 100 to a few kohm on the other side.
If it turns out, you have accidently removed an inductor, it’s quite likely to be for the amp, to drive the speaker. The best solution would be to replace it with an inductor from a donor board, maybe check with the fairphone angels, or at you own risk, replace with a 1µH inductor of the right size. But please wait and write back before trying any of those methods, just meassure. I can give you tips on some more andvanced soldering operations.
A short rarely damages anything badly on a power ciruit (have shorted quite a few IPhones), but if sth happens, you have a paperweight, unless you can find out the exact ICs.
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Leo - Thank you!
Ooops 
On the plus side the phone works now - except for the speaker. Could a shorted Inductor cause the phone to stop working? My basic understanding suggests they are supposed to conduct anyway, so I am surprised it could short circuit “more” and render the phone useless. But then I’m sure you see my electrical knowledge is limited
Interestingly, there was a long fine wire which seemed to be coiled within the component when i took it off the board. Sounds like an inductor? Sorry to sound so, um, dumb!
I assume that you mean on the board (rather than the two pads on the inductor? The component is rather fragmented, if I can even find the dust…!
Thanks again. I certainly will. I am appropriately rebuffed - I can see your eyes rolling! Things are less urgent now, so I can walk steadily to fix the final problem. I don’t think I have any fairphone angles anywhere near me (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK).
Would be gratefully appreciated. Sadly every shop that I have approached has at best directed me elsewhere, but usually been completely useless. It would appear that society’s desire to dispose of and replace has become deeply ingrained at all levels.
Really appreciate all your help @Leo_TheCrafter - an amazing support to the community. Thanks.
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For people like me, less familiar with electronic components, I found this a plain reading explanation:
http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-capacitors-and-inductors/
If an inductor is damaged, it might be a dead short, instead of a real inductor, causing the output voltage to be unregulated, the PMIC detects that and shuts down
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I just wanted to say: kudos, and thank you for sharing your detailed journey. This whole thread has been an interesting read, especially as a Fairphone Angel. I don’t see myself doing such though.
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